COMMENTS (7)

Rapper Ronnie Run

By Kristin Day
mixer

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sit down at a computer — any computer — and Google, “Ronnie Run, Winterville, N.C.,” and be amazed.

“Ronnie Run: Winterville's finest” says the first link. “Da' Undaground King Himself,” says another.

He may be one of the best rappers in the area, but finding a venue to watch him perform can be difficult. Run says he's trying to make it back to some Fayetteville clubs soliciting his return, but the recession is making any travel nearly impossible. Instead, he hangs at Industry Night at Faces Lounge, where producers and local rappers network.

His road started years ago, when he was an eighth grader admiring the Sugar Hill Gang, Run DMC and LL Cool J. A three-week stint as a DJ fell through and he jumped on rapping as a backup plan.

“A lot of people read (my rhymes) and liked it,” he said.

The next step came when he called a producer listed on the back of a CD. Together, they recorded his first EP and Run began submitting tracks to Soul 92.

“A lot of people started talking about it,” he said. “A lot of people were saying they liked it.”

What they like may be Run's mission to bring something different to hip-hop, a genre he says has been replete with themes of violence and greed.

“Hip-hop these days,” he said. “You hear the same thing over and over again and the message behind it doesn't make any sense,” he said. “Let's bring the fun back into this.”

Run says he has a throwback style — or what some people have called “retro” — and he likes a lot of soulful beats.

His latest CD, a mixed tape called “Hot Joints, Volume 1,” features 15 songs including “I Remember,” which is currently making its way through airways. You may find it virally at www.thespinradio.com or www.blogtalkradio.com/caveradio (9-11 p.m. Sundays), or check out samples through Jango Radio or his Web page. Run said he was pushing for a final release in July or August.

He's working for the day where he's sitting on top comfortably with his family. But until then, he's enrolling at Pitt Community College to study Web design.

And Googling his own name will always provide a sense of pride.

“It feels good to be recognized,” he said.

Contact Kristin Day at kday@coxnc.com or 329-9579.